Railroad step-ladder



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. H. FISHER. RAILROAD STEP LADDER.

No. 508,099. Patented Nov. 7, 1893.

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2 Sheets-Sheet (No M qdel.)

A H FISHER RAILROAD STEP LADDER.

Patented Nov. 7, 1893.

sa wow 4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALMON H. FISHER, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILROAD STEP-LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 508,099, dated November 7, I893.

Application filed May 25, 1893. Serial No. '7 i (N0 111011811) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALMON H. FISHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, 1n the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Railroad Step- Ladders; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which, in connection with the drawlngs making a part of this specification, will enable others skilled in the art to which my invention belongs to make and use the same.

My 1nvention relates to railroad step ladders, and to that class of ladders which face the shelving in connection with which they are used.

The object of my invention is to improve upon the construction of railroad step ladders of the class above referred to, as now ordinarily made, and to provide a step ladder having rollers at its lower end, adapted to travel on the floor, and connected with a carriage at its upper end, which carriage is provided with rollers adapted to travel on a track secured to the front of the shelving. The ladder is so supported on, and connected with sald traveling carriage, that its lower end may be moved inwardly toward the shelving when the ladder is not in use, so as to extend In a substantially perpendicular position, thus occupying but very little space and not interfering materially with free passage in front of the ladder.

My invention consists in certain novel fea tures of construction of a railroad step ladder of the class above referred to, as will be hereinafter fully described, and the nature thereof, indicated by the claims.

Referring to thedrawings:Figure 1 is a perspective view of a series of shelves, with my improved step ladder combined therewith; the dotted lines show the position of the ladder when not in use, and pushed in at its lower end against the shelving. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the movable carriage, on which the upper end of the ladder is supported. Fig. 3 is a front View of one end of the carriage, looking in the direction of arrow a, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end view of the carriage, looking in the direction of arrow 19, Fig. 2, showing a section of the track on which the carriage travels. Fig. 5 is a cross section,

taken on line 5, 5, Fig. 2, looking in the direction of arrow b, same figure, showing a section of the track on which the carriage travels, and also of a portion of the ladder supported on the carriage. Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive are shown on an enlarged scale.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 is a series of shelves, and 2 is a counter with its front edge extending beyond the shelves.

3 is the track, ori which the Wheels on the carriage, which supports the ladder at its upper end, travel. The track 3 extends out from the front of the shelves, and is secured to the front edge of the shelves by screws or otherwise, and is provided with a longitudinal rib or projection 3 extending upon the top thereof, and with a rounded or curved front edge 3", which forms the'bearing for one set of rollers. The carriage which travels on the track 3, and to which .the upper end of the ladder is attached, consists preferably of a horizontal bar 4 having the vertical bars 5 extending above and below said bar 4, and secured thereto. The back edges of the ladder rest upon and bear against said bars 5, see Fig. 5. One or both of the vertical bars 5 may be made adjustable, by means of a slot 5 in the ear 5" projecting out from said bars, see Fig. 3, and a bolt 6 screwed into the bar 4, so that ladders of different width may be used. Extending out from the supporting bars 5 on the outer edge thereof, and preferably made integral therewith, are rods 7, between which the upper end of the ladder extends. The rods 7 serve to hold the ladder in position laterally on the traveling carriage. At each end of the bar 4 is an angle arm 8, on the upper end of which is mounted one or two rollers 9, (two rollers are shown,) adapted to travel on the track 3, see Fig. 4:. The rib 3' on said track retains the rollers 9 on the track.

On the lower end of each angle arm Sis mounted a roller 10, adapted to bear against the track 3; the curved edge 3" ofiers but a small bearing surface, and reduces materially the friction between the same and the rollers 10. Upon the lower end of the angle arm 8 are adjustably secured by set screws 11' or otherwise, the retaining lips 11, which extend under the track 3, and prevent the and travel on the outer curved edge 3" of" ICC carriage from being raised 0E of said track, see Figs. 4 and'5.

The ladder 12 is of any ordinary construction, consisting of the sides 12 and the treads 12". The lower end of the ladder is provided with rollers 13 adapted to travel on the floor, or on a track on the floor if preferred; said rollers 13 are preferably mounted in brackets 14, adjustably secured to the sides 12 of the ladder 12, by bolts extending through slots in said brackets, or otherwise. The upper end of the ladder 12 extends between the two rods 7 extending out from the carriage, as above described, and the inner edges of the ladder rest upon, and bear against the vertical bars 5 of the carriage. The upper end of the ladder 12 is connected with the rolling carriage so as not to be detached therefrom, preferably by metal straps 18, shown in dotted lines, Fig. 5, secured to the sides of the ladder by screws 20, or otherwise, at a point above and below the track, and provided with lips 19, extending at right angles to the straps 18, and adapted to lap over the outer edges, and extend back of the vertical bars 5. The lips 19 of the straps 18 are not attached to the vertical bars 5, and are therefore free to move up and down thereon, as the ladder is pushed in or drawn out, as shown in Fig. 1.

Aspring 16, secured at one end to some portion of the carriage, preferably the bar 4, and at its other end to some portion of the ladder, preferably a rod 17 extending under one of the treads 12", may also be employed to hold the ladder at its upper end in the traveling carriage, and prevent the same from being detached therefrom, see Fig. 5.

By means of the connection between the upper end of the ladder and the traveling carriage, and the manner of mounting the traveling carriage on its track, as above described, and shown in the drawings, the lower end of the ladder is free to be moved outwardly or inwardly.

The operation of my improved step ladder will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, from the above description in connection with the drawings.

The carriage with which the upper end of the ladder is connected, travels freely in either direction on the track, and the upper end of the ladder moves with it, while the lower end of the ladder is supported and travels on the rollers which travel on the floor.

It will be seen, that the weight of the ladder, and the weight of the person on it, rests and bears on the floor, and there is but little weight or strain on the carriage at the upper end of the ladder to interfere with the free movement of the same.

The advantages of my improved step ladder will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art. It is of very simple construction and operation, will occupy but very little space, and travels very noiselessly, and the lower end thereof may be readily pushed in against the counter when not in use.

It will be understood that the details of construction of the parts of my improved step ladder may be varied somewhat if desired.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a railroad step ladder, the combination with a track, adapted to be secured to the front of the shelving, and a carriage provided with rollers adapted to travel on said track, and also provided with vertically extending bars against which the back edges of the ladder rest, and outwardly extending arms between which the ladder extends, of a step ladder, provided with rollers atits lower end, and adapted to extend at its upper end between the outwardly extending arms of the carriage, and bear against the vertically ex tending bars of the carriage, and connected therewith in such a manner that the lower end of the ladder may be movedtoward or away from the shelving, for the purpose stated, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a track secured to the front of the shelving, and a carriage provided with rollers, adapted to travel on said track, said carriage prevented from being raised from the track by adjustable rods or lips extending under the track, and said rods, secured to the carriage, of a step ladder, provided with rollers at its lower end, and connected at its upper end with the carriage by extending between two rods thereon, and bearing against two vertically extending bars on said carriage, and held in position by straps secured to the sides of the ladder, and provided with retaining lips extending back of said vertically extending bars, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a railroad step ladder, the combination with the track, and a carriage provided with rollers, adapted to travel on the track, and support the upper end of the step ladder, of the step ladder, provided with rollers at its lower end, and supported at its upper end on the carriage, and a spring connecting the upper end of the step ladder with the carriage, substantially as shown and described.

ALMON H. FISHER.

Witnesses:

JOHN G. DEWEY, KATIE FARRELL. 

